What is wrong with supporting the sanctity of life? Absolutely nothing! Life is a precious commodity despite the overpopulation of the earth.

Presently, the planet earth is the only place where life is known to exist. If the scientists are correct, and I think they are, then life’s presence on this planet is the result of a complex struggle. Life had to adapt to the planet’s environmental offerings. Those who exist today are winners, though they may be gone tomorrow amidst some ongoing change in environment. Those that came before and are no longer, failed to adapt to changing climate, or had their unique environment, their niche, destroyed by natural circumstance or the unnatural intervention of human beings.

Humans have been overwhelmingly successful in the area of procreation. Recently the population numbers of human beings have reached the 7 billion mark. Humans are a recent result of the evolution of primates. Their immense mental capabilities nearly always guarantee a win in the struggle for survival. Humans have a consciousness that is unrivaled among the life forms present on earth. It would be a great loss to the universe if we were to come up missing.

A loss to who? Humans are a construction from materials generated in the furnaces of enormous stars that exploded millennia ago. The materials, the heavy elements, generated by these exploding giants made the rocky planets, like earth, what they are. The universe we know is composed of these stars, gas planets, and rocky planets, like earth. From the looks of it, what made us exists universe-wide. Life arose by yet undiscovered natural processes from these materials. Increment by increment life emerged and became the complex shapes and forms present today. We are part of and represent the universe. It can rightly be said that, at least in this part of this galaxy, we are the universe become conscious. It would be a shame and a loss for humanity to disappear.

What makes life precious? The answer to this is: Quality of life.

Presently our planet is overpopulated. Seven billion people are too many and are ravaging the planet. All other species are at risk as humans relentlessly expand their domain into every available niche.

This particular rant of mine was prompted by yet another letter to the editor of the local newspaper here. The title is “Pray for all the children, even the unborn who die every day”. It reads as follows:

New Year’s resolutions are being made by many people—all with good intentions.

How about putting on your list the effort to be more positive about the right to life—all life? (It’s never too late to start.)

The anniversary date of Roe vs. Wade’s Supreme Court decision is this month. As you know, this ruling made it legal to kill the unborn, which doesn’t say much for our society.

We all know how the tragedy of the Connecticut shootings affected so many people, especially the parents and families of those 20 children who lost their lives. I can’t possibly imagine how I would react or feel in losing one of my children, especially in this manner. This tragedy resounded throughout this country and the world.

The courage and outcry from the media was tremendous and continued for several weeks.

Where is the outcry when it concerns the 2,600 babies who are killed by abortion every day?

Why doesn’t the news media report this with the same outrage and passion?

Think about that for a moment, then maybe you can add that to your list of resolutions—to help in the fight for all life.

Let us all pray for an end to the tragedy of abortion, the senseless murder of innocent children. Peace to all.

signed Barbara

This is one of many voices asking for the power to force others to obey what they think is the right way to live. In their world there are no grays. There are only whites and blacks, on or offs, no’s or yes’s. People like this do not actually imagine that should Roe vs. Wade be revoked that abortion would end. People like this know full well that the procedure will continue under illegal and unsafe means. These people know there will be suffering as a result of such a ban, and the truth is, they do not care! Under the guise of expressing concern, care, they are instead exercising extreme cruelty. This is religion, however, strict, unchanging, uncaring.

The planet’s beyond capacity now, Barbara. Again, though, it is religion. Those steeped in the doctrine do not care about the suffering, do not care about the environment, and certainly do not care about the other species that share this planet. They have but one thing on their minds, if you can call it minds, and that is … God’s will.

These thimble-minded cretins not only oppose abortion, but in many instances oppose all contraception to curtail population growth. They also oppose any effort to preserve the environment for future generations as they have always felt “God’s a’ comin’ any day now.” What need have we for a nice environment when God’s return will fix everything quite nice, thank you.

As I said, this voice was one of many. They have the majority. They can do it. No amount of reason or logic will dissuade them, as they gave up on that long ago.

I’ve always found it ironic that the most right wing Republicans support those candidates that cherish the atheist philosopher Ayn Rand who celebrated reason and selfishness as the highest virtue. Ayn Rand writes the following:

An embryo has no rights. Rights do not pertain to a potential, only to an actual being. A child cannot acquire any rights until it is born. The living take precedence over the not-yet-living (or the unborn).

Abortion is a moral right—which should be left to the sole discretion of the woman involved; morally, nothing other than her wish in the matter is to be considered. Who can conceivably have the right to dictate to her what disposition she is to make of the functions of her own body?

Reason yes, selfishness no. I do not know very much about Ayn Rand. From what you wrote here, perhaps that is a good thing.
I have always supported abortion rights for women. However, I don’t think that abortion should be used as a contraceptive measure. Though I have been told that I have no right to speak about abortion, being a man, my right of free speech dictates otherwise.

Having now brought myself up to a faster gait, I can now state clearly that Ayn Rand is not my cup of tea. Society should be more compassionate, even if individual members are not. There are many who want to dismantle the Social Security Program as well as anything else they see as socialist. I have always said and still maintain that a capitalist system would be stark and unforgiving without a little socialism in the mix. No one should have to beg for help when they are down and out and no one should have to depend on religious institutions to dole out breadcrumbs. There needs to be safety nets.